As the Rain Falls
by KyoxSakiFan
Summary: You were swept away, taken long before you were due. You were my apprentice, a very important cat to me. And every time I see the rain fall, I can’t help but be swept away within my memories of you. Rainwhisker/Cloudtail friendship.


Disclaimer: I do not claim to own the Warriors series in any way, shape or form. I am merely sharing my ideas in a constructive manner and all characters will be returned safely once I finish.

As The Rain Falls

Angst/Friendship

Setting: After Rainwhisker's death, during the journey.

Summary: You were swept away, taken long before you were due. You were my apprentice, a very important cat to me. And every time I see the rain fall, I can't help but be swept away within my memories of you.

Pairing: Rain whisker x Cloud tail (Can be taken as friendship or shonen-ai, whichever you prefer. I like both. XP This fanfic centers around their relationship in a friendly matter, however.)

POV: First person, Cloudtail

I winced as the jagged rocks dug into the delicate pads of my feet, no doubt having torn the skin open. Ignoring the blood that leaked from my wound, I continued following my clan up the rocky mountainside.

We were heading to the home of the Tribe of Rushing Water, the group of cats that lived freely in these mountains. Our home was actually several miles away, but I guess I could no longer call it home after what it's become. All thanks to those stupid twolegs!

Sure, I may not have been born into the clans like most of them, but it had still been my home! I know that the same is for my uncle Firestar, who had also been born a kitty pet. He'd taken me into his clan due to my mother's wishes.

I was going to miss her dearly. I know I'm never going to see her again; where we're going is too far away for that to be evenly remotely possible. My heart aches, not only for her, but for the other ones we've lost as well.

Including my former apprentice, Rainwhisker.

He'd always been a little too soft for his own good. However, of all the ways he could've died, why had it been this one?

While we had been escaping our old camp, a tree branch had fallen on top of him, crushing him instantly.

He never should have died. He deserved to see our new home; live a happy life, free of the twolegs and their trash.

I hope he's happier in StarClan now, free from the suffering we all will have to endure. At least, that's what Firestar had said. I actually never believed in StarClan, although I occasionally have my doubts. As far as I know, I'm the only cat here that doesn't believe in the 'Warrior Ancestors'.

But, Rainwhisker believed in them. So maybe that's where he will end up? My mate, Brightheart, seems to think so and I believe in her, so do I really have a choice?

I blinked up at the darkening sky as realization dawned upon me that the eerie scent of a strong storm was slowly heading in our direction. From the looks of things, it would be upon us by nightfall.

I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the heavens were weeping for him too, for he shared their namesake.

Rain, it was the first syllable in Rainwhiskers name as well as the heavy water droplets that fell from the sky and nourished the plants and animals and molded the ground to what it was today. I couldn't help but wonder if Rainwhisker had been named for his personality rather than the dark gray coat of his. He'd always seemed to nourish those around him, much like the ever constant stream of rain. He was warm and comforting, yet he could be so confusing at the same time. I was one of the few that knew my former apprentice for who he truly was; the thoughts and dreams that had lie underneath his innocent exterior.

I remember one time in early newleaf when it had started to rain during our training.

_I had immediately sought some form of shelter to prevent my long white coat from becoming matted, soggy, and dirty. After a few moments, I ducked underneath a small thicket of ferns that although bent with the force of the water above me, didn't allow any to slip through onto me. _

_I turned to speak with my apprentice, only to realize that he hadn't followed me inside our shelter. I blinked, my blue eyes shining with disbelief and confusion; although his coat was more water resistant than mine, he knew better than to continue training in the cold rain. So where was he?_

_Growling lightly in irritation, I glanced out of the oval shaped entrance of the thicket and strained my eyes for any sight of his damp gray fur. I was about to call for him when I caught a glimpse of his still form, sitting in the middle of the training hollow._

_At first, I thought he was waiting for me so we could head back to camp and opted to join him, but I quickly realized that waiting for me was clearly not what his mind was focused on. His cloudy green eyes were focused on something up above that only he could see or perhaps he wasn't seeing anything at all. How could he with the stinging droplets of water pelting against his face and leaking from his eyes and whiskers?_

"_Rainpaw?" I mewed warily from my hiding place, hesitant to leave my dry haven unless I absolutely had to. "Are you okay? Why don't you come over here and rest until the rain stops?"_

"_No, it feels…good." He responded, not moving from his spot. I narrowed my eyes in confusion, not quite understanding the hidden meaning I could feel behind his words._

"_What do you mean?! You're going to catch a cold if you stay out there much longer!" I snapped irritably, a little angry that my apprentice wasn't listening to me. He merely shook his head and turned to glance at me for a moment before turning his gaze skyward once more._

"_You don't understand…when the rain chills your body to the bone, what does it wash away?" He inquired, shivering lightly as his body began to drop in temperature just a little bit._

"_Um…dirt and fleas?" I answered, feeling unsure about my answer._

"_Yes, it washes away nasty parasites and ailments, but it does more than that; I can feel it. It's as if…it's washing all the dirt from very being—my soul itself." As if to support his statement, he shivered once more and closed his eyes, relishing within the sensation. "Isn't that what we all seek, eternal cleanliness in StarClan?"_

_For a moment, I debated pointing out the obvious fact that I didn't believe in StarClan or anything it represented, but I decided against it after a moment. There was just something so serene and sincere about the look of wonder on his face that I couldn't bring myself to put a cover around his optimism. _

_Briefly, I found myself wondering if perhaps there was more to this apprentice than met the eye. Not many cats this young had a full understanding of the warrior code, let alone developed ideas about rain and its connection to them. To be truthful, I've never really considered it; to me, the rain was a constant annoyance, despite being the replenisher of life. It soaked through my long fur and caused needless sicknesses that left us weak and vulnerable for several moons. Perhaps, I was wrong…?_

_Shaking he thoughts from my mind, I called out to him once more. "I understand, but we can't have you catching a cold now; as it is, we need more apprentices. What would we do if one of the few we do have right now ended up falling ill?"_

_He looked reluctant to leave his sanctuary, but eventually caved in and sauntered back over to where I was crouching, settling down beside me._

Afterword, he hadn't complained the least bit when he caught a mild cold and instead purred happily at me when I dropped by to visit him in Cinderpelts den, his whiskers twitching in amusement.

I was unnerved slightly, because I was forced to realize that there may be more to this apprentice than I had originally thought. He looked so innocent and playful, but inside he held a serious and thoughtful side that seemed to express how he truly felt about certain things. He wrapped his mind around something and considered it from several different angles, something I've never been able to do.

I admired him for it.

I glanced up at the sky once more, feeling a strange warmth fill my stomach when a single raindrop landed gracefully on my nose, slipping down the smooth surface of the skin to land harshly on the ground below.

I couldn't help but wonder if that was him calling out to me, speaking to me in the only way he could, because despite the fond memories I held of him, nothing could ever change the fact that he was gone from this world forever; I missed him terribly and always would.

I merely smiled up at the sky as several more droplets joined the lone solider that had landed on my nose, drenching us within the sky's cleansing downpour. Before we headed higher up the mountain, I stopped to send a message upward to him through my thoughts.

'_I hope your soul is cleansed, wherever you are…'_

**AN: Well, there isn't much I would like to say about this piece. I wanted to do something for the often forgotten character that died far too young. We didn't know much about Rainwhisker, because he had limited appearances in the books. However, I believe that there should have been more to his individual character than what was shown, so I made this story. I also believe there should have been more emphasis on the relationship between these two, since it would have been quite interesting to see and would have kept me even more interested in the series than I was before. I would also like to point out that I'm not entirely sure whether or not these cats know of the concept of 'souls', but I decided to add it into the fanfiction anyway since I believed it fit the flow I currently had going on.**

**Please refrain from flaming of any nature, for I will hit the abuse button if I feel that your review could be taken as a flame. On another note, please leave comments and constructive crit; I live off of those two things. :)**

…………**..Thank you for your time!**

**KyoxSakiFan**


End file.
